Heel-trimming machine for boots or shoes



No. 615,092. Patented Nov. 29, I898. A. MCDOWELL. HEEL TRIIMMNG MACHINE FOR BOOTS OB SHOES.

(Application filed Apr. 4, 1898.) (No Model.) 3 Shaats-Sheet I.

Patented Nov. 29. I898.

A. McDOWELL. HEEL TRIMMING MACHINE FOR-BOOTS 0R SHOES.

(Application Med Apr. 4, 1898.)'

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

Inventor.- JM in kw Mzinasses;

No. 6|5,092. Patented Nov. 29, i898. A. McDOWELL.

HEEL TRIMMING MACHINE FOR BOOTS 0R SHOES.

(Application filed Ayr. 4, 189B.) Modem 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

witnesses: f 72 7/671 to 7".-

(l SVQ JLWB %QJZAM-Z%AQKQJLK NITED STATES PATENT OFricE.

ALEXANDER MODOVELL, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

HEEL-TRIMMING MACHINE FOR BOOTS OR SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 615,092, dated November 29, 1898.

Application filed April 4, 1898. Serial No. 676,269. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER MoDoW- ELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heel and Sole Trimming Machines for Boots or Shoes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention has reference more particularly to the counter-guard, the devices which are employed in connection with the counterguard for holding it in proper position and relations in the machine, and the rand guide or shield which is employed at the front of the cutter and the edge of which enters the crease between the rand and the upper of a shoe.

The invention consistsin certain novel features of construction andin certain novel and useful combinations of parts, whereby improved results are attained.

The invention will be described fully first with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which latter are illustrated the best embodiments of the invention which I have thus far contrived, after which the essential'and distinguishing characteristics of the invention will be found more particularly pointed out and distinctly defined in the claims at the close of this specification.

Figure 1 of the drawings shows in end elevation parts of a trimming-machine with my improvements applied in connection there with; and Fig. 2 is a view in plan of the devices which are shown in Fig. 1, only so much of the machine being included in these two views as is required in order to make clear the nature, relations, and mode of operation of the improved devices. Fig. 3 is a side View of the cutter which is described hereinafter; and Fig. 4 is a view thereof in section on the dotted line 4 4: of Fig. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows which are adjacent to the ends of the said dotted line. Fig. 5 isa view in elevation of the cutter and rand guide or shield placed together. Fig. 6 is a View in elevation of the rand guide or shield; and Fig. 7 is a view thereof in section on the dotted line 7 7 of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows which are adjacent to the ends of the said dotted line. Fig. 8 is a View, partly in section, on a plane passing through the axis of the cutter-shaft. Fig. 9 is a View in elevation of a fixed counter-guard, and Fig. 10 is an edge View thereof. Fig. 11 is a view in vertical section showing a rotary shield or guard journaled at the forward end of bar 9.

l designates the cutter, which is represented in position in the machine in Fig. 2 and detached in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. i

2, Fig. 2, designates the cutter-shaft, which is rotated as usual and by any convenient means, and 3 designates a portion of one of the bearings in which the said cutter-shaft 2 is mounted.

4 designates the rand guide or shield, which is located at the front side of the cutter l and has its edge arranged to enter the crease between the rand and the upper of a shoe which is being operated upon with the aid of the machine, the said shield being represented in place in the machine in Figs. 1 and 2, it being shown at the side of the cutter in Figs. 5 and S and being shown detached in Figs. 6 and 7.

5 designates the counter-guard, (see more particularly Figs. 1, 2, and 8,) the same being located in the machine, as usual, immediately adjacent the rand guide or shield at and the cutter 1.

6 designates a convenient form of heel-rest, the latter being supported in convenient mannor in a position below the cutter.

'In the use of the machine the heel of the shoe which is to be operated upon is placed in well-known manner upon the heel-rest and moved within range of action of the cutter, the shoe being kept pressed up to the cutter and turned or moved first in one direction andthen in the other, so as to expose the entire circuit of the heel to the trimming action. The upper of the shoe rests in customary manner against the edge of the counterguard, which latter touches the same along a line immediately adjacent the crease between the upper and the rand of the shoe.

Shoes of a great many makes are characterized by having at the back thereof a seam extending from the crease aforesaid up the rear of the ankle portion, and along this seam there exists more or less of a ridge. As will be understood by those who are skilled in the art, the counter-guard serves as a kind of gage to determine the extent of the cutting of the heel, this gage coacting with that portion of the counter of the shoe which lies immediately adjacent the crease and rand, and it will be obvious that the shape of this portion of the shoe, through its cooperation with the counter-guard, determines the shape of the heel. The ridge at the seam aforesaid causes in a manner which will be clearly obvious a bunch to be left by the cutter at the rear of the heel, since when the ridge comes against the edge of the counter-guard it operates to occasion a slight receding of the shoe and its heel from the cutter. It has heretofore been necessary to remove from the heel by a subsequent operation the bunch or protuberance which is thereby left on said heel. The aim of the first part of my invention is to obviate the formation of any such bunch or protuberance on the heel in line with the seam at the back of the shoe. To this end I form in the counter-guard 5 a depression 51 to receive the projecting portion of the upper at the seam. This receives the said projecting portion while the shoe is being held pressed against the countergnard and turned in presenting the various portions of the heel to the action of the cutter, and since the said projecting portion or ridge is no longer operative to cause the shoe to recede from the cutter the bunch on the heel, to which reference has been made, is no longerformed thereon. This feature of the invention may be employed in connection with counter-guards which are movable in unison with the shoe as the latter is turned or shifted in position in the course of the trimming operation, or it may be applied in connection with counterguards which are fixed and do not move in unison with the shoe. Figs. 1, i, and 8 show it applied in connection with a movable counter-guard. In these figures the counter-guard 5 is supported on a bearing, as (311, forming part of or applied to an arm or plate '7, pertaining to a block 8, the said block being mounted on a support 9, on which it is capable of being adjusted vertically. The mode of connection between the said block and the said support mayin some cases be varied, and so may be also the means of adjustment. In the present case the said block 8 is held to the said support 9 by means of a clampingscrew 10, which passes through a slot 11, that is formed in the block, and into a threaded hole in the support 0, and 15 designates an adjusting'screw that is applied to the block 8 at the left-hand side of the clamping-screw 10 in Figs. 1 and 2, and 1G is an adjustingscrew that is applied to the support [1 at the right-hand side of the said clamping-screw 10 in said figures. The end of the adjustingscrew 15 takes against the support 9, while the end of the adj usting-screw 10 takes against the block 8. By means of the said adjustingscrews 15 and 16 vertical adjustment of the block 8 either with or without angular shift in a vertical plane may be effected as desired, and thereby the counter-guard and its recess may be brought into exactly the desired and proper position.

It is desired that the movable counterguard 5 should be maintained normally in such a position that the recess 51 in the edge thereof may be entered readily by the ridge at the rear seam of each shoe that is operated upon in the machine without there being any necessity for bringing the counterguard into position by hand. To this end I combine with the said movable counter-guard an automatic returning device, of which one form is constructed as follows:

17 designates a spring having one end thereof engaged with the counter-guard 5, as by entering the said end into a slit 18 in the counter-guard. The said spring 17 is suitably held in the machine, so as to enable it to act upon the movable counter-guard to return it automatically into the normal intermediate position which is represented in Figs. 1 and 2 after every movement of the said counter-guard in either direction from the said position. I have herein represented the spring as having several coils thereof encircling a post, as 181, projecting from the support 9, the said coils being connected with a collar 19, which is mounted 011 the said post 181. The said collar is by preference made rotatable on the said post 181. and is fixed in position 011 the said post by means of a clamping-screw 20. This enables the collar and spring to be shifted in position, so as to permit of adjustment of the normal position of the counter-guard or, more properly, of its recess 51 whenever such adjustment is desired to be made.

The support 9 in the present case is constituted by the bar which is employed usually in trim ming-machines for the purpose of sustaining the ordinary form of rand guide or shield in the required position in the machine. As customary in a heel-trimming machine the said bar 9 is shown herein fitted to a socket 21 and provided with an adjustingscrew 22, by means of which to effect the desired longitudinal shift of the said bar within the said socket. By means of this screw the counter-guard may be adjusted horizontally with respect to the cutter, if desired.

23 designates the usual clamping screw or bolt, having its stem passed through a slot 2% in the top of the socket 21 and entered into the bar 9, the said clamping-screw serving to hold the bar 9 and the parts which are carried thereby in the position of adjustment which is given thereto by means of the adjusting-screw 22.

Figs. 0 and 10 illustrate a fixed or non-oscillatory counter-guard (designated 52 in the said figures) formed with a recess (designated 521) to receive the ridge of the shoe-upper at ICO IIO

the rear seam. The said fixed counter-guard 52 is shown formed with a plate or arm 71 to be applied to the block or slide 8 in substitution for the arm or plate 7 of Fig. 2.

The usual rand-guide or front shield which is employed in sole and heel trimming machines in connection with the cutter thereof-that is to say, in the place which is occupied in the drawings of the present case by the shield 4-has a continuous lip projecting on the side next the cutter and overhanging the ends of the blades of the latter. This continuous lip by its friction against the rand tends to heat and in consequence to burn and injure the leather, particularly after it has gathered more or less oil or wax or thelike. It is the object of the second part of my invention to guard against or obviate this tendency to heat and burn and otherwise to improve the character and operation of the said shield. To these ends I construct the said front shield as shown more clearly in detail in Figs. 5, 6, and 7-that is to say, I form the shield 4 with short discontinuous and separated laterallyprojecting or overhanging lips, as 41 41. These lips 41 are all located at the periphery of the shield 4, and there may be any suitable or preferred number thereof in the series, although I have found in practice that the best results are attained by having one-half as many of such lips as there are blades to the cutter. These lips 41 41, &c., areformed beveled or tapering-that is to say, substantially wedge-shaped-so that as the shield rotates in unison with the cutter the lips shall operate to press the side of the rand laterally in the direction of the length of the cutter in an easy and gradual manner; also, to smooth and burnish the side of the rand without cutting the same. The number of lips 41 41 on the shield will be proportionate to the number of cutter-blades on the cutter. The described shield is peculiarly serviceable in connection with the cutter of United States Letters Patent No. 584,826, granted to me June 22, 1897, in which patent is shown, described, and claimed a rotary cutter having a plurality of cutting knives or blades, in which some of said knives, as 121 121, &c., of Figs. 3, 4,

and 5 of the drawings of the present case, are

front guard or shield when such is used, and

no spaces exist except such as are designed for the waste material. The form of rand guide or shield which is illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, and 7 is more especially fitted for use in connection with a rotary cutter such as is presented in the Letters Patent aforesaid, as will be apparent from Figs. 3 to 7 of the drawings of the present case. It is to be understood, however, that this feature of the invention is not restricted to use in connection with the cutter of the said Letters Patent. It is equally serviceable in connection with other forms of cut-ters as well. When a rand guide or shield such as that shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7 is used in connection with the cutter of my Letters Patent aforesaid, the rand-cutting lips on the cutter may be caused to alternate in sequence with the lips 41 of the shield. (See Fig. 5.) By making rotary shift of the shield with respect to the cutter the action of the rand-cutting lips 122 may be controlled and varied. Thus when the shield and cutter are so set with relation to each other that the rand-cutting lips are immediately behind or touch the rear ends of the lips 41 on the shield the said lips 41 will shield the randcutting lips 122 and will act by pressing the leather sidewise, so as to clear the said randcutting lips, to prevent the latter from cutting. By shifting the cutter and shield with relation to each other, so that the rand-cutting lips shall follow at a distance behind the lips 41 of the shield, opportunity will be atforded for the leather which has been pushed laterally by the action of the lips 41 to resume its normal position to be acted upon by the rand-cutting lips. By varying the distance the action of the rand-cutting lips may be made greater or less, as desired. The lips 41 on the shield are not intended to cut the leather, but are intended to press the leather to one side and to shield the rand-cutting lips.

In some cases it may be desired to use my improvements which relate to the counterguard in connection with a rotating guard or shield which is supported on bar 9. For example, Fig. 11 shows a guard or shield 44, provided with a journal 45, fitting the interior bore of the post 181, which is made hollow or tubular, as customary in certain machines of this class, for the purpose of receiving such a journal. In order that when such guard or shield 44 is employed it may be possible to make independent adj ustment of the counterguard, so as to enable the latter to be brought into exactly the desired position with relation to the said guard or shield and cutter, I form a horizontal slot, as 81, in block 8, and pro vide a hand-lever, as 12, engaging with pins, as 13 and 14, which are connected with the bar 9 and block 8, respectively. Thereby by manipulation of hand-lever 12 the block 8 and parts carried thereby may be given a horizontal adjustment upon bar 9 in the direction of the length of the latter. Other means of effecting the same adjustment may be substituted in some cases.

The removable counter-guard 5 of Figs. 1, 2, 8, and 11 is mounted on a tubular bearing portion extending laterally from the side of the plate or arm 7, as indicated at 63 in Figs. 8 and 11. This tubular bearing portion 63 has an annular groove, as 64, formed therein, the said groove receiving the tip of a screw 65, which is applied to the lateral flange or hub of the movable counter-guard 5. (See Figs. 8 and 11.)

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with the cutter, of the counter-guard at the side thereof having the recess 51 in the edge thereof to receive the projection or ridge on the boot or shoe being operated on, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the cutter, of the rotary counter-guard at the side thereof having the recess 51 in the edge thereof to receive the projection or ridge on the boot or shoe being operated on, and automatic means to return said counter-guard to its normal position after being rotated therefrom, substantially as described.

ALEXANDER MCDOWELL.

\Vitnesses:

CHAS. F. RANDALL, WM. A. MACLEOI). 

